All charges against Stan Lee’s former business manager have been dismissed due to a mistrial, which was declared by a California Superior Court judge in LA on November 1st, 2022. The comic book legend’s ex-manager had been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his boss, but his name has now been cleared.
A deadlocked jury in favor of acquittal
The trial was left with a hung jury. 11-1 were in favor of acquitting the defendant. The trial lasted two and a half weeks and deliberation went on for two days. Still, the final jury member couldn’t come to an agreement with the rest of them about the former manager’s innocence.
The accusations against Lee’s ex-employee included grand theft from an elder on three separate occasions, each one classified as a felony. The defendant and his attorney have been fighting the charges for four years now.
His argument is that the money that went missing had been transferred to the heir and daughter of Lee. The superior court judge who stepped in said he did so in the interests of justice.
The charges against the iconic artist’s former employee
He was initially charged with false imprisonment and elder abuse as well, but those accusations fell away early on and were settled before the criminal defense case ever went to trial. Prosecutors made the case that the once-manager was preying upon the comic book genius during a time of mental decline, acting on his behalf without having the authority to do so.
He was accused of stealing more than $220,000 in total. The money came from proceeds from three different events at which Lee was signing memorabilia. The arrest of his former business manager came one year later.
A California judge has declared a mistrial in a case against a former employee stealing a substantial amount of money from his famous boss. The defendant used to work as Stan Lee’s business manager, who is well-known and beloved for his comic book superhero creations that still endure to this day. As a result, the grand theft charges against him were ultimately dismissed.
